My Feet Hurt.

Been there? After a long day at a zoo or amusement park? How about after a 4 day hike in the mountains? Yep, that'll do it, even if you do use trekking poles.

But mine hurt first thing in the morning in the normal course of living life in suburban Auckland. I've had orthotics in my shoes for years now, trying to combat the falling arches that may or may not come from too many years of walking trails in Africa with nothing but simple sandals.

I was told I had bone spurs. Boy, if I stepped on a stone in just the right spot on my heel, repentance was sure to be necessary after I could breath again! It might also be bursitis. Grandpa had that in his shoulder. If I'd known then what I know now, I woulda been more compassionate and careful when climbing into his chair with him.

I've had malaria where the pain came and went.
I had dysentery and tried to refuse the pain meds. The wise and experienced doctor knew I would need them in the days to come.
I've had a few surgeries, even walked around with an angry appendix for a few days before it finally crossed a threshold of pain.

Some of you have been in car crashes, or sporting clashes that felt like a car crash! Others have had vasectomies reversed, hernias repaired and other things clipped or snipped.
Some have had babies, been punched, suffered kidney stones or fallen down stairs. Some have tooth pain or eye surgery . . . . sensitive areas with nerves just waiting to come to attention.
What of cluster headaches and migraines so severe that there can be no light or sound stimulation?

My dad has managed pain for many years. A friend's mum had a major accident years ago that broke, compressed and stressed bits. She's lived with it all for years and still is so active in the community that local politicians stand when she approaches.

There are so many different kinds of pain, and effects of pain.

My dad's doctor recently told him that pain tolerance is learned or conditioned, probably not something we're born with.

It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die,
than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.
Julius Caesar

What can we do with pain?
How can we use it to enrich, stretch and grow us?
There is much talk of pain management. Hmm. I don't really like the sound of that.

"Tolerate it. Ignore it. Manage it."

Other pain relates to a void, a loss, an immeasurable ache that cannot be seen by the casual observer. How does such pain shape a person? I know the painful experiences of my life have shaped me; the painful times when no one else could see the pain or fear or anxiety, but it was as real to me as a paper cut or a skinned knee only far more pervasive.

Uncle Tom used to compare all injuries to a paper cut and he was not minimising the situation. They can be about as bad a pain as you'll have, like a rug burn! Painfully intense, but often not long lasting.

What about the pain that lasts, that wears you down, that impacts on your sense of humour?
What about the pain that changes your countenance so people think you are grouchy or unapproachable when in fact you are just a bit inward focused?

I know people like this.
They choose to get up each day and get on with it.
They choose to pour themselves in to their garden, or their art or their service to others.
In some ways, I hate their pain. On the other hand, I see how their pain shapes their character and makes them softer, more aware and more understanding.

As we move through our every days and mundane tasks and routines of life, let's be careful how we look at each other. What if that gruff retort really wasn't about you, but was about the fears and anxieties that person is trying their best to deal with?

What if that short clipped response, while not appropriate, was the best they could do today?
What if managing all that needs to be managed just seems a bit too hard?

Don't take things personally. Don't make assumptions. --